The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-06-25
Grown him Lord of ALL"
METHODS IN SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACH
ING.

Mr.. EDITOR: observe that at the Sunday
school Convention recently held at North
Lewisburg, o., the subject of Methods of
Quickening the Religious Nature of the
Young" was presented and discussed.
1t is self-evident truth that the religious
sentiment is natural; and to quicken 1t In
that period of life when the conscience,
through the camera of consciousness takes
instantaneous impressions which can never
be effaced, is of incalculable importance to
the future of our cause. 1t is its substruc-
ture-its old red sand stone.
If this foundation is faulty from neglect,
or from wrong conception of methods used
in its preparation, then the superstructure
will inevitably suffer from dfsintegration
and weakness.
The question of methods is the essence of
the subject, but choice of the best is more
than intimated and certainly desired by all.
Our churches are lamenting the non at
tendance of children at church services; they
are drawn away, too, at maturity to attend
and join other churches. Our fathers, moth
ers and preachers could possibly explain the
cause, if given an opportunity, but l do not
propose to place them on the witness stand.
We know that our children do quite will
lingly and gladly attend our Sunday schools;
then why should not the proper quickening
of the religious nature be sure and legiti-
mate result of Sunday-school teaching? Evil
IDENTIFY because our methods in Sunday school
work are faulty.
For many years we have constantly used
the Helper and lesson papers. We have had
the opportunity of meeting with the children
at the place where they most like to assemble,
and of implanting the one thing most needed:
viz, quickened religious nature. The ques-
ton again recurs, why has not. this been the
result? Again the answer is, inadequate and
faulty methods.
l do not wholly condemn the Helper sys-
TEN, yet it seems to me to come far short of
fully meeting our wants. Some of its faults
are, that it almost entirely leaves out of
view the sensitive conscientiousness of child
nature-its loyalty to truth and known duty,
the imperative necessity of quickening and
Strengthening these as the only sure founda-
ton on which true and permanent Chris
tian character may be built, and that if this
opportunity is unimproved in childhoods
hour, the loss can never be fully repaired. In
its stead we are presented with literally his
torical Bible incidents, in lessons, very few
of which bear any analogy to life of the pres
ent time; less of them can be accepted as
unqualifedly true, and more of them require
liberal education to be fully comprehended
intellectually; while none have The power to
arouse the spiritual significance of life in the
child. We want methods that fully recog-
nize the susceptibility and power of con-
seriousness as factor in this quickening pro-
cess, to be appealed to, trained and disci-
plined, until willing assent and full belief are
yielded to the great facts that are fundamen-
tai in our scheme of regeneration.
1t is then and only then that our faith has
an anchorage from which the sophistry of
atheism or orthodoxy can never dislodge
it. Our Sunday-schools and our churches
are furnishing for the methods that will bring
such results. s.